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NCAA tournament 2014: A guide to Thursday's round of 64 games

Rick Pitino AAC tournament

Louisville coach Rick Pitino will face one of his former players and assistant coaches when the fourth-seeded Cardinals play coach Steve Masiello and 13th-seeded Manhattan on Thursday.
(AP Photo | Mark Humphrey)

Things to keep an eye on during the first day of the NCAA tournament's round of 64:

BEST UPSET CHANCE

North Dakota State/Oklahoma

The Bison have an ideal profile for a 12/5 upset. They are experienced (five of their top seven scorers are seniors), they aren’t a fluke (49 wins over two seasons), they’ve won 14 of 15 and scored a victory at Notre Dame (when it still had Jerian Grant) earlier this season. Plus, the game is in Spokane, so it’s not as if Oklahoma fans are likely to travel en masse.

LEAST LIKELY UPSET POSSIBILITY

Florida/Albany

The Great Danes beat Mount St. Mary’s in the first game of the tournament on Tuesday. Their reward? A trip to Orlando to play a Florida team that hasn’t lost since Dec. 2. Albany and especially the America East (which will earn extra money from the NCAA over the next six years thanks to the Great Danes’ victory) should savor Tuesday’s triumph, but reality will hit very fast.

BEST GAME

Cincinnati/Harvard

It’s another 5/12 game, this one featuring a team that led the American Athletic Conference all season (Cincinnati) and an established tournament spoiler in Harvard (which beat New Mexico in a 3/14 game last March). This is a better Harvard team than a year ago, but the Bearcats’ Sean Kilpatrick has the ability to carry Cincinnati to a tight victory

WORTH STAYING UP FOR

Texas/Arizona State

Neither the Longhorns nor the Sun Devils is going to win a national championship, and with the winner likely to face Michigan on Saturday, neither is likely to survive the opening weekend. But between diminutive guard Jahii Carson of Arizona State and the rapid resurrection Rick Barnes performed for Texas, these are two interesting teams. Of note: Sun Devils coach Herb Sendek is 6-1 all-time in the round of 64.

WORTH SKIPPING WORK FOR

Colorado/Pittsburgh

Yes, it’s an 8/9 game, and the winner gets the honor of probably losing to Florida in the round of 32. Nonetheless, it’s probably the best of the afternoon games (with Ohio State-Dayton a contender for that honor), and it features a Colorado bunch that survived the loss of star Spencer Dinwiddie to a January ACL tear and a Pittsburgh team that finally beat one of the ACC’s top four teams last week when it knocked off North Carolina.

BARELY WORTH YOUR TIME

Villanova/Wisconsin-Milwaukee

The tip time of around 9:30 p.m. doesn’t help this game’s cause in the slightest, but Villanova figures to be especially salty after losing in the Big East quarterfinals to Seton Hall. Rob Jeter’s Panthers had a nice Horizon League tournament run (and were even picked last in the conference in the preseason), but the Wildcats should make quick work in this one.

BEST SUBPLOT

Ohio State/Dayton

It’s not like it’s been forever since these teams have met (they last faced each other in 2008 NIT quarterfinals), but it is still an in-state game between one of the sport’s most consistent programs (Ohio State) and one that always seems like it is knocking on the door but only occasionally can bust through (Dayton). Playing in Buffalo, which is within 400 miles of both campuses, should help draw fans of both schools.

THE TIES THAT BIND

Louisville/Manhattan

Louisville coach Rick Pitino has seen many of his former assistants go on to get head coaching jobs. One of them is Manhattan’s Steve Masiello, who played for Pitino at Kentucky and later was an assistant at Louisville before taking over the Jaspers. He got Manhattan to the tournament for the first time in a decade, and his reward is a matchup with his mentor in Orlando.

PLAYER YOU’LL HEAR ABOUT

F T.J. Warren, N.C. State

The splendid sophomore has cracked 20 points in 18 consecutive outings for the Wolfpack, including a 25-point night against Xavier in Tuesday’s opening round. He also has eight 30-point nights, and he might need another as N.C. State faces fifth-seeded Saint Louis.

COACH YOU’VE HEARD ABOUT

Jim Boeheim, Syracuse

The Orange will head into its 31st NCAA tournament under Boeheim, who has a national title and four Final Fours to show for his many treks into March. But here’s some perspective on Boeheim’s longevity: When he made his first NCAA trip in 1977, the field only had 32 teams. And some more perspective: Three of the coaches in the Final Four that season were Al McGuire, Dean Smith and Jerry Tarkanian.

COACH YOU’LL BE HEARING ABOUT

Mike Brennan, American

The former Georgetown assistant has done splendid work in his first year as a head coach, getting the Eagles to embrace the Princeton concepts he learned as a player under Pete Carril. American isn’t likely to beat Wisconsin in Milwaukee, but it could be a major nuisance in the first half and perhaps even a little longer before the Badgers wear down a team that has four players averaging more than 31 minutes.

FUNNY SEEING YOU AGAIN

Oregon/Brigham Young

Emphasis on fun. The Ducks edged Brigham Young 100-96 in overtime back on Dec. 21, with Jason Calliste scoring 31 points for Oregon and Tyler Haws registering a game-high 32 points for the Cougars. Both teams rolled up more than 90 possessions, and if there has to be a regular season rematch in the round of 64, better this than just about anything.

LOW POSSESSION

Michigan/Wofford

Two of the seven slowest teams in the country (based on KenPom.com’s adjusted tempo metric) meet up in Milwaukee for a 2/15 game. Michigan ranks 327th in the country in adjusted tempo (62.8 possessions per 40 minutes), while the Terriers are 338th (62.0). Don’t expect a lot of up-and-down play in this one.

HIGH-SCORING

Michigan State/Delaware

The Spartans might not always push the pace, but they score with efficiency and can do well in a up-tempo game. As for Delaware, defense is sometimes an optional thing. The Blue Hens roll out four guards (including the school’s all-time leading scorer, Devon Saddler) and exploit mismatches. Delaware has a decent chance to get this game into the 70s and maybe the 80s, but it will be hard-pressed to slow down Michigan State.